Genevieve (1953)

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Expected more

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Lust, jealousy, ruthless conniving...and that's for starters. No, this isn't a Lana Turner and John Garfield film. This is Genevieve, one of the greatest of the classic English comedies from the late Forties and early Fifties. The movie is witty, warming and, above all else, funny. Genevieve is a 1904 Darrocq roadster, driven by the ordinarily levelheaded young barrister, Alan McKim (John Gregson), on the London to Brighton and back annual antique car rally. By his side is his indulgent and sometimes exasperated wife, Wendy (Dinah Sheridan). Joining him in a 1904 Stryker is Alan's best friend, the irrepressible Ambrose Claverhouse (Kenneth More). Joining Ambrose is the beautiful creature he hopes to have an emotional experience with overnight in Brighton, the elegant and slightly off-center Rosalind Peters (Kay Kendall). Stuffed in the Stryker's small back seat is Suzy, Rosalind's Saint Bernard. And off they go, the cars snorting and puffing, wheezing and sometimes breaking down. We have a chance to see how much the annual rally and Genevieve mean to Alan and how much Gwen, who'd rather be at a party that evening, loves him. We learn what a loud and funny man Ambrose can be, and how just below the surface is a competitive streak just waiting to break free. And we see what a beautiful creature the long-legged and fey Rosalind is, and that she just might be Ambrose's match. Says Rosalind to Wendy, "Ambrose only seems to think about two things. That silly old car - and the other thing." Says Wendy to Rosalind, "What other thing? Oh. My husband only thinks about the car." The four reach Brighton and enough things happen to them to keep us smiling. But then a little misunderstanding leads to a 100 pound bet as to who will get back to London and cross the Westminster Bridge finish line first. What had been a friendly run turns into a cutthroat competition. Ambrose comes into his own...and nice guy Alan matches him. It's not too long before Wendy and Rosalind, who at first thought the men were behaving like boys, join them in the thrill of the race. It's nip and tuck all the way, with stratagems, close calls and some truly ruthless plotting. It's great. Among the many reasons for this movie's charm and success are the four actors. Sheridan is an expert actress and light comedienne, likable and believable. Gregson is stolid but equally likable. They make a nice couple. Almost blowing them away, however, are Kenneth More and Kay Kendall. More had been the confident, energetic bit player or second lead for years. Kendall, with her looks, style and way with words had been slowly inching up the star ladder. With this movie and the following year's Doctor in the House, they both made it to the top. More was a much more versatile and subtle actor than his movie persona might have you believe. Ambrose Claverhouse may be loud and confident, he might even be just a bit of a bully, and he certainly has a victory laugh that will drive you crazy, but More is able with all this to make the guy funny and even appealing. We feel rather sorry for Ambrose when his emotional experience with Rosalind is not to be. Kendall simply was one of a kind...so elegant, so funny, so off the wall. When, tipsy on the champagne Ambrose has been giving her while the four of them dine, Rosalind decides to play the trumpet, Kendall is so funny you'll want to watch the scene again. Kendall has to set up the character at the table. She has to sound a little slurred. She has to walk carefully to the bandstand. She has to mime playing the trumpet, first slowly and sweet and then swinging, and she has to pass out back in her chair. Kendall does all this with exquisite timing and style. She's so funny because she knows not to try for a moment to be funny. Kendall didn't have much time at the top. She died six years later at 33 of leukemia. Not the least of Genevieve's charms is the jaunty, quirky music for the film composed and played by Larry Adler, perhaps the best harmonica player ever. Adler was one of those great American artists who were blacklisted because he wouldn't knuckle under to the vogue for self-abasing testimony before Congressional committees about his political beliefs. Unable to find much work in America he moved to Britain and started over. When Genevieve was released in the United States, his name was removed on the credits as the composer and another name substituted. When the music won an Academy Award, there was no mention of Larry Adler. It took years before the Oscar organization rectified this. Adler decided to stay where he was, in Britain. He kept his citizenship but only returned to the States later for concert or composing gigs.

This is one of those films I can just watch time and time again, as indeed we did this evening. It must be 25 years since I first saw Genevieve as an kid; I daren't guess how many times I've seen it since. But every time it still works its magic.It's a comedy, but a gentle one - there's a few real belly laughs to be had, but mostly I'm left with a beatific smile of pure pleasure throughout. The one exception is the scene where dear old Arthur Wontner stops the McKims to admire Genevieve at a crucial point in proceedings; that scene has me welling up with tears every time.The script from William Rose is perfectly judged and paced, and there's enough detail in there to reward multiple viewings. It's quite risqué for 1953, but done in a splendidly subtle way that can only be described as a forgotten art. And as usual, I shall be whistling Larry Adler's magnificent score for days after viewing.I laughed, I cried, I loved the old cars. What more could you ask from a movie? Quite possibly the closest thing to perfection you're likely to see in a movie - and it didn't need special CGI effects and a cast of thousands, just four extremely talented actors, a few old cars and the glorious post-war English countryside.11 out of 10. No, 12! 13!

Fifties Britain and time for the Veteran Car Club's annual run from London to Brighton and back. We meet Alan, a man who spends most of his free time tinkering with "Genevieve", his 1904 antique car - and his wife Wendy, she is completely bored by the annual run but goes nevertheless, this year spurred on by a fancy new hat. Their friend is a man named Ambrose who brings along a "model" and her huge dog for this year's trip. The two men then spend most of the time in a rivalry over getting to Brighton first, jeering at each other over car breakdowns and the like, while the two women are pretty much being dragged along for the ride. Then they actually get into a road race against each other on the return trip to London, backed by a 100 pound bet to see who gets back first!This film is a fun romp, fast-paced, with well done performances by all. It includes lots to satisfy the Anglophile in me, like cute British expressions such as "good luck, Old Spot", "beastly", and "jolly good", plus interesting on-location photography in London, Brighton, and the English countryside. There are some quite amusing scenes when the couple ends up in this hotel in Brighton, with an odd set of rules regarding the hot water and the like, plus a really horrible room! My only complaint is the constant car mishaps seen in this left me feeling slightly more frustrated than amused. Still, this is a very enjoyable, well-done movie, filmed in bright, beautiful Technicolor, and featuring an excellent harmonica music score that gives the film a nostalgic charm all it's own. Well done!

I was a bit surprised that such a high percentage of ratings were 10 for this movie. While it's pretty good, there are so many other British films of the era that are simply better--and a lot more entertaining. Now this isn't to say I didn't like the film. On the contrary, I thought it was very good,...but certainly not great and a pretty skipable film when you think of all the better films from Ealing Studios (such as PASSPORT TO PIMLICO or the films of Alec Guinness).The story is a very slight film about two slightly nutty old car enthusiasts and the women that reluctantly love them. Both guys LOVE their antique cars (circa 1904 and 1906) but the antiques are a pain in the neck, as they seem to break down all the time and are very slow. Despite this, the two guys decide to race from Brighton to London and a lot of problems naturally develop. Some of these problems are pretty cute, but the best aspect of this film were the interactions between the characters and the excellent dialog.Also, and I know this may seem odd, but I really loved the color film used to make this movie. It is not exactly realistic but is so rich and pretty to look at that I found myself remarking repeatedly ho much I liked the color.